In the early days after Pac-Man was released to the world, there were a lot of arcade and home console companies that wanted in on the Pac-profit! This series will focus on these lesser known games. weather it’s an original game, or a Pac-bootleg, we will be touching base with these games that Pac-forgot!

The first game we’re talking about, is one that is in my top five games of all time-

Make Trax started it’s life as a maze chaser called Crush Roller. it was developed by Alpha Denshi and originally published by Kural Samno Electric in Japan. It was also licensed for North American release to Williams Electronics, and in Europe to both Karateco and Exidy.

What makes this game so unique?

You don’t eat dots- you PAINT THE MAZE!

Make Trax is a maze game in which the player controls a paintbrush and must paint the entire layout in order to advance to the next stage. Two fish – one yellow, the other light-blue – emerge from separate aquariums to pursue the paintbrush around the board, and if either of the fish succeeds in making contact with the paintbrush, the player loses one of three lives.

And unlike the ghosts- the fish can see you wherever you are in the maze. So, they can plan an attack- most of the time cornering you.

It’s a challenge- checkout Youtuber CrazyClimber 80 playing!

I love this game. The maze layout, the roller powerups, The hidden WARP HOLES, the sound, and it’s kooky nature keeps me coming back for more! I might even do a Coin Up episode soon…

How about you? Have you ever played Make Trax? Love it? hate it? let me know in the comments!

We all know what today is- Pac-Man Day! But- do you remember the first time you saw Pac-Man? was it in the arcade? On the Atari VCS? On a later system? Well, that’s what Josh, Danny, and myself talk about in this episode!

I can’t believe it! 40 years ago TODAY the yellow one was released to the public- and we were never the same again! And to celibate this momentous occasion, Jerry Buckner- one of the founding fathers of Pac-Man Fever is doing a live stream! let’s join in on the fun!

I thought it was a good time to start another series- about the Pac-Man games after the original maze chasers. You see- Namco knew their icon had to evolve. So, I thought- Let’s take a closer look at these games… and see if they keep their Pac-Man feel, but more importantly, is the game good? I thought we would start with one that I remember being so quirky, fun, and so- different- that it was THE PERFECT GAME to start with. Arcaders- I give you…

Pac-Man 2 The New Adventures.

Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures is a graphic adventure game, a vast departure from its predecessors. Players assume the role of Pac-Man as he must carry out different quests given to him by other characters. Many of these involve retrieving a specific item, such as a bottle of milk or a flower. Unlike other adventure games, players cannot control Pac-Man directly, who will wander and interact with the in-game world at his own pace.[2] Instead, players use a slingshot to guide, or “influence”, Pac-Man to his destination or to attract his attention towards a specific object.

In each quest, the player will need to solve puzzles to progress. The solutions to these puzzles are based on Pac-Man’s moods, which differ based on the player’s actions. For example, the player can shoot down an apple from a tree, which Pac-Man will eat and makes him happier, while shooting Pac-Man in the face will make him irritated or depressed. Pac-Man’s moods will also determine how cooperative he becomes; for instance, making Pac-Man too happy will cause him to become smug and cocky, and as a result less willing to follow the orders of the player. Some sections of the game follow Pac-Man riding on a hang glider or in a minecart through “chase” scenes, which require fast-reflexes from the player. Pac-Man may sometimes encounter his enemies Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde, where he will immediately become frightened and run around the screen. Feeding Pac-Man a Power Pellet, stored in an inventory at the bottom corner of the screen, will transform him into Super Pac-Man and allow him to eat the ghosts. If the player visits the arcade, they can play the original Pac-Man. Finding three game cartridges will allow them to play Ms. Pac-Man in the SNES version, or Pac-Jr. in the Sega Genesis version.-

I hope you guys are enjoying Pac-Man Month as much as I am! Today’s Pac-commercial is something special to me. Being a local in the Central Florida area, the was one restaurant that stood out for me- and I loved going to. The Pac-Man Cafe!

The Pac-Man Cafe was awesome. Unfortunately- It didn’t last long. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Pac-Man Cafe started life as another arcade- XS Orlando.

Pointe Orlando opened in 1998. It is still open today- but is missing the panache of it’s early years. It’s hard to compete with things like-

FAO Schwartz. Biggest toy store in Orlando.

MUVICO Theater- First movie Theater in Orlando with IMAX!

Along with XS, It was quite a fun day.

Then, one day (around 2002, I believe) XS- closed.

I remember seeing an ad in the paper for Pac- Man Cafe- which conveniently , was in the old XS location. I went- and I wasn’t disappointed!

Here’s a flier from Pac-Man Cafe!

When you entered, you were greeted by this happy fella-

And once inside- they had a full service restaurant- where the specialty was the Pac-Pizza… with the first piece missing! Then, you could go over to the Galaga Bar to have a drink! The main arcade we upstairs, but the fun was at the Retro Arcade on the first floor! It had all the classic games you could remember- plus a few you didn’t! Add to that the Pac-Museum, It was the best time in Orlando next to Disneyquest!

But, in 2005- it was gone. Why? I had heard that the rent went up at Pointe Orlando. Also, Namco was slowly closing their arcade division in the U.S., – so, it was a sad time in my household- we went every weekend. Now PointeOrlando has Main Event, and Arcade city- but they pale in comparison.

Now- there seems to be a resurgence in the Pac-Man Cafe idea… Check this out-

These seem to be pop up locations- there has been some in Shanghai, and Hawaii. Let’s hope they do more!

What do you think of the Pac-Man Cafe? Did you ever get to go? Let me know in the comments!